It Has Been Almost A Year Since I Became An Author

On February 24th, 2017 my book "Woman Manifested: A Poetic Tale" turns one years old. Yeah, it has been almost a whole year since I self published my first book and I'm thankful for the people that have been there to show that they noticed me moving forward in my goals, the people that have purchased a book, and the people that read and gave feedback.

The day I announced on Facebook that my book was available felt wonderful. Over a 100 people clicked the like button on that post. Several people said they would purchase a copy. They were showing love. The feeling was amazing until I started checking for purchases. For several weeks only one person actually supported by purchasing. After that only a few close friends took the time to get their copies. That excitement I was initially feeling started to fade. So may insecure thoughts ran through my mind, but the biggest one way maybe it wasn't time. Maybe I released the book too early or maybe I should have waited until there was a real demand for me as an author. Well, an article online gave me a little bit of hope.

The article was on a self published author whose book started to get an overwhelming amount of purchases after six months of the book out. Could that also happen to me? I wished, but nah. After six months, my book promotions were being ignored with the exception of a few people. I had become the invisible writer, but I started on a second book to take my mind off the lack of support from the first book. The second book, "This Is For The Lover In You" is a series of poetry based on my love life. I've gotten even less support from that book, but this is not what this post is about.

To highlight that a year is coming up since I put "Woman Manifested: A Poetic Tale" up for sale, I decided to post up an excerpt, "A Moment of Freedom," because after years of operating in the adult world, it is still a great example of what life can feel like.

A Moment of Freedom (Poem From "Woman Manifested: A Poetic Tale)

Red hair, Don't care.
Tired of being the same old me
No more aiming to please
So today I put on m red wig
Those other girls black and blonde
They're not trying to stand out
"Blend in, Blend in"
They whisper for me to do the same
There's no success in change
But I'm tired of listening
Red wig
Bright blue eye shadow
Loud pink lipstick
There's a camera
I smile and say cheese
But they don't see me
In their eyes there is the same old girl
Stuck in the same quiet world
She has no real goals
No achievable dreams
When was the last time she smiled?
When was the last time she cried?
No emotions are found in her face
There's no home to call her own
No real potential because she never listens But I have potential
It lies in my freedom
So I look in the mirror
First goes on the bright blue eye shadow So when they look in my eyes
They'll see a brand new girl
then goes the pink lipstick
A color reserved for brave Bitches

Topped off with a noticeable red wig 
All put together shows a new girl 
New confident attitude
It was my choice and I liked it
New brave stature
If I can do this, I can do anything 
But it's only a moment of freedom 
By tomorrow it'll be different
In the real world I'll listen
I'll aim to blend in
And become invisible again. 

Woman Manifested: A Poetic Tale is available on Amazon and Createspace.

Onyx McFly Saves The Day (Searching For My Star's Book Feature)

The following a motivational children's book. Our little girls are being exposed to today's Hiphop culture, but it's also important to let their imaginations roam with ideas of how successful they can be one day and how they can help others.

Onyx McFly Saves The Day 

By Crystal Judkins 

Onyx McFly is a tough and determined little eight-year-old girl, who is as bright as she is brave. With her multi-colored sidekick Boom by her side, Onyx uses her imagination to live out a whole host of fabulous exploits, stimulated by her surroundings. Having always wanted to be a superhero, Onyx tells the story about a time when she had to become just that, and use her flair and resourcefulness to solve a real life problem and save the day! Onyx McFly Saves the Day, is a fabulous children’s book which will delight and inspire young children to be their own superhero. With memorable characters and unforgettable life lessons, your child will be enthralled with the adventures of Onyx and will be eager to join her on many more adventures!

Purchase a copy for your child on Amazon today.

If you want your book featured, submit the name of your book and an amazon link to lashuntrice@gmail.com.

Don't Let Anyone Dictate How Your Starting Point Looks

Protect your beginning.

Some people have a beautiful start. They come up with an amazing idea for an entrepreneurial career or side hustle and then they have the money to pay people for the areas they don't want to tackle themselves. That could be having assistants for to help them push out the work. It could be paying for graphic designers to make their website look great. For someone like me, it would be paying a graphic designer to do a book cover. There are also people who want to write a book, but don't think they are good at the writing part so they hire a ghost writer. Then they realize they need reviews to attract customers, so they pay for people to provide nice words to the public. They spend a whole lot of money, but it's okay because they want the most beautiful start they can have for their business.

Then there are the people who start from wherever they are at the moment. For instance, when I started writing on this blog it looked nothing like this. There was no biography, no page with a little of my creative writing, and no real design. It was a pain blog and I just started writing my thoughts out. I had no idea what my plans were for this space, but I knew it was important to start utilizing it right away.

It was also the same with my first book. I had content and needed a book cover. I asked around, but eventually decided it was best that I utilized a photo from my private collection. I didn't have the money to spend and wasn't really impressed with what I was being offered. Well, I decided I could do it all without spending money I didn't have. I wrote the whole book, came up with a cover photo, and decided to do the advertising myself. The tricky part about advertising is you can pay others to advertise for you, but that doesn't mean you'll get a return on investment.

Your start may look like mines. You may have less money than me and you're doing it all yourself. Because of your efforts, not everything is coming out perfect right away.

You may also have people attacking your start. I see it all the time. I've seen posts about how annoying it is when people use their Facebook pages to advertise products. I've seen the posts about how graphic designers feel people shouldn't attempt to design by themselves. I also received the messages with price quotes that I never asked for. I also recently received a messaged saying that I didn't have enough actual followers to actually get eyes on my products.


After receiving so much unwanted advice and seeing the negative things people with credibility say, your mood can change. That's why I'm here to warn you. Don't worry about them. None of these people care what you have to offer to the world. They are just trying to get paid. Whatever goal you have, make it a reality and do it with whatever you have at the moment. You don't have to be fancy. You just have to have a talent to start.

Your First Longterm Supporters When Publishing A Book

This is Part Two to Lessons on Book Covers and The Book Industry Part One.

This is not about former teachers and professors that saw a gift in you and it's not about whatever they did to help you nurture that gift. This is not about the people who encourage you to write that book you've been dreaming about. This isn't about the people who may put a little pressure on you because they don't see the actions you are taking to gather a fan base. All of these people in one way or another want to see you win, but because it's not the route they are taking, they more than likely will only say so much to you. It's all about the very first people who will be cheering for you and never stop. 

My very first supporters were authors. They are still the same authors that are offering encouragement  til this day. Why? Because they know the struggle of getting readers and retaining readers, so they want to send that same energy out to other writers. So your first longterm supporters are going to be other creatives like you. 

Well, not all authors support others. Some offer negativity and they never bother to read what you put out. Beware of them, but accept the good ones that come into your life to stay. 

P.S. Make sure you check out my books. They links are located above and to the side of the page. 

The 50 Year-Old New Gurl (Searching For My Star's Book Feature)

I recently read my first book about the trans-gender lifestyle. The 50 Year-Old New Gurl by Amanda Mann is a really short book located on Kindle. I started and was finished in no time. The storyline is different from what I'm used to reading, but yet it is still intriguing. Part of that might be because of my obsession with the Kardashians and the title instantly reminded me of Kaitlyn Jenner. Read the description below.

The 50 Year-Old New Gurl by Amanda Mann 

Todd has never had a night like this in all his fifty years on the planet. He meets a young woman by accident and is instantly smitten. He brings her back to the club where his friends are, only to find them making fun of her, calling her a "tranny."

For the first time in his life, Todd feels that everything is just right and he's not ready to give it up. He leaves his friends in hot pursuit, catching up with her and going back to her place. One thing leads to another: A night of passion like he has ever known and a makeover that will turn his whole world on its ear!

For a limited time every Sunday Searching For My Star will feature at least one book you've probably never heard of. Stayed tuned for more and make sure you are reading. Also check out my books, Woman Manifested: A Poetic Tale and This Is For The Lover In You.

Lessons on Book Covers and The Book Industry Part One

There once was an aspiring model. She studied the icons, such as Naomi Campbell and Tyra Banks. She dreamed of her face being everywhere and waited for the opportunity.

While she waited for her chance at fame, she took tons of selfies. She took so many selfies that she had pictures for days. Professional headshots? She didn't need one of those because they were all over her social media and in photo albums in her home. Finally one day a company needing a model for their brand new watch was scrolling through Instagram when she saw her photos. She was perfect for them. They called her in, took several photos of her wearing nothing but the watch, and then paid her.  She was excited because it was her first official chance at being a model and the company was excited because after putting together the ad for the watch, they would sell the photos to a stock photo company.

Actually I don't know the story of the model behind the photo. However, I knew that the perfect person to be on the cover of my own book was me. I also knew that deep in my heart it was a bad idea to listen to anyone else that was trying to change my creative vision without knowing my creative vision. I let someone talk me into changing the cover of my very first book, Woman Manifested: A Poetic Tale, anyway. They promised me that the cover was what was keeping the book from reaching a larger audience.

Numbers afterward determined that was a lie. Changing the cover did nothing for the sales. I still had to hustle the same as before to get the book in people's hands. I had to convince my friends how important it was to actually support me by purchasing and reading the book. Only a few did and it had nothing to do with a cover. I had to convince my family members to help me move a few books. Surprisingly a few people I've been associating with alone purchased, but again that had nothing to do with the cover. They purchased because they saw a brand new struggling entrepreneur taking a leap into a new world. The only people who actually loved the cover was the person the put the book's name on the photo, his girlfriend, and some random woman online that kept saying the girl in the photo was pretty. The random woman loved the cover, but not enough to buy the book.

Now that I have that rant out of the way, people's reactions were not why I changed my photo back to the original one with me in my club dress and a blue drink. I changed it back because 500 other people were using that same girl as the cover of their books too. Not one, not two, but somewhere around 500 people have been convinced that this beautiful brown skinned woman is the best possible person to put on the cover of their very uniquely written books. Okay, I'm exaggerating a little on the amount of times I've seen her face on someone's cover, but it's still way too many times.

Now when it was first discussed that I use the photo, I was told that it would be more appealing to people. Now I'm realizing it only appealed to other writers.

I guess you can say this post is a continuation of a re-introduction of myself. Hi, I'm an established online author. With a tedious work schedule that helps pay my bills, I've been branding my books on the world wide web. People ask for realness and that's what I give to them in my writing. I've learned in the last year that authors are paying for book covers that millions of other people are already using,  paying for reviews from people who don't even read the books they talk about, and paying for ads on websites that people don't even bother to click on. Oh, and after all of that they still struggle because writing is not one of the more highly appreciated arts in today's society.

Less Than 24 Hours...

A week ago I did something out of the norm. I replied to a Facebook message from a man and agreed to meet him.

It all started on a Tuesday night when I screenshot a post where a Facebook friend described wanting a relationship where her man talked highly of her like Barack Obama talks about Michelle Obama. I posted the screenshot in two groups. In one of them I received likes. In the other some guy responded about how not all women deserve that treatment. Somehow my replying to his comment led him to comment on some of my pictures and request me. After sending the request he started messaging me. The message led to exchanging phone numbers. Then we started talking on the phone.

Honestly it happened so fast. He was commenting, complimenting, and I barely said anything back. I had glanced at his pictures when he first commented on the post. He wasn't my type look-wise, but looks aren't a deal breaker. After exchanging numbers, we immediately started talking. He had a lot of questions. It was like he was trying to get to know everything about me in a matter of seconds. He was saying so much that before I knew it he was talking me into meeting him the next day.

After getting off the phone my head was spinning, but before I could think straight he was texting me.  Like any other hormonal male, he wanted a picture but I shut that down and didn't think much of it. Instead the text conversation ended and I put him out of my mind until the next morning.

I woke up to one of those good morning texts. It seems like every man feels the need to send those texts as soon as they meet a woman so I wasn't shocked. I replied back to it because it's nice to do so. However, a few hours later he was asking if I was available at a certain time to do lunch with him.

Remember how I said he tried to slip in the nude photo request the night before? Well, the lunch date was okay until the very end. We met at a place called Hobbit Cafe. He looked just like his online pictures. I didn't feel good or bad about the eating part. It was enjoyable to eat somewhere new. Afterward he wanted to go for a short walk. That was okay too. I didn't feel a spark with him, but I enjoyed the company. Then it was time to say goodbye.

Instead of just saying our goodbyes and leaving, he wanted a hug. I said okay to the hug, but instead of a regular ass hug he picks me up like a father picks up their kid. It was weird as hell and I was absolutely ready to get away from him.

Even though I enjoyed the date, I was tired of him for the moment but he didn't get the memo to give me time. A few hours later he was texting me. In the text conversation he brought of the awkward hug where he picked me up. I said it was uncomfortable, but he thought it felt just right. Then he was calling me soon afterwards.

In that last conversation he did most of the talking. I was tired of talking for the moment, but I didn't feel like being rude until he asked the weirdest question.

This man asked me if I shave. Then he went on to talk about waxing and how he shaves his balls and he prefers a woman that shaves her area. I was shocked and excused myself off the phone soon after. Even though I went into an awkward silence at first, he never noticed. He just kept talking.

Okay, about the sex question some people say a woman knows if she's going to have sex with a man as soon as she meets him. But I've learned that a woman's mind can change the longer she gets to know a man, so its best not to jump to conclusions right away.

Soon this will feel like a figment of my imagination because the guy blocked me on Facebook. Maybe he was embarrassed that I didn't feel the same way as him emotionally, maybe he just wanted sex, or maybe I did something wrong that he didn't mention.

But this was all in less than 24 hours. I'm actually glad I went. I needed a man, any man, to help me get my feet wet in the dating pool again. He was my start. I hope he's not my end for 2017. Would you have accepted a date so soon?

P.S. I'm an established author now. Make sure you purchase my books Woman Manifested: A Poetic Tale and This Is For The Lover In You on Amazon now.

The Final Lie ( Searching For My Star's Book Feature)

Author Obsession has completed her Love Ain't Shh Series with The Final Lie. First there was Cracked (Book One) which featured a beautiful woman in an unrepairable marriage and a split personality looking for revenge on the people who ruined her happy home. Then came Secrets In His Closet (Book 2), which contains more broken relationships that'll leave your mouth open. Before we fully taken in the intensity of the first two books, The Final Lie will be available in February. Read the excerpt below and prepare your mind for this good book that is coming soon.

Excerpt from The Final Lie  

***EXCERPT***
It always begins and ends the same. She comes home after being away for over twenty-four hours. I ask questions that I already know the answers to. She changes the direction of the conversation to something more comfortable for her. I press on because I refuse to be deflected from what weighs heavy on my mind. She curses my life; I bite my tongue; she walks away, smug with the illusion that she’s in control, and I… I tame the fire; never releasing the smoke. Never exploding, until today. Today, she has made me a killer.

“Look at me.”

Her lip trembles. “No.”

“Look… At… Me!”

“No! I can’t!” She fixes her eyes on her rapidly rising breast. They are large, perky and distracting, which makes all the difference now. I am going to kill her, and she knows it. She can feel it in her bones. Her promiscuous ways have finally caught up with her. I love my wife, but she is a slut, and I am fed up with it.

“I asked you nicely, so now I’ll help you,” I say, grabbing her by the chin and forcing her to glare up at me. I make sure to lean close enough for her to see the ache in my eyes. I am hurt, tired and past a breaking point. Her facial expression says, I’m sorry, I love you. I silently counter with, unfortunately, it’s too late. I close my eyes and rest my forehead against hers. The breeze from her nose chills the sweat that streams down my face.

I kiss her furrowed brows and then smack her across the cheek. “I want to know, and this is the last time that I’m going to ask you, is it true that you’ve had not one, not two, not three, but four abortions?”

Her contorted face slowly turns to me. “Baby, I told you… that email had to be a mistake…”
Smack! I drop my hand to my side and stare at the blood in the right corner of her mouth. Lying is like breathing to her, and I’m over it.

Her whimpering snaps me back into reality. I’m wounded and vengeful. Without a shadow of a doubt, she must pay.

“You see? I try to give you one last chance to tell the truth for once in your goddamn life,” I say as I step over her lover’s limp body. I killed him without hesitation; I bashed his head
in with my sledge hammer and tossed him to the floor alongside his brains. I smile down at him and give him a pat on the shoulder. “I bet, old buddy, old pal never thought that he’d die naked in a motel room with a whore.”

I followed her to this motel and gave the two them some time to enjoy their sins one last time. It was quicker than I expected though. Twenty minutes after entering their room, she came out for some fresh air. I guess Heart O’Chicago motel was just like all the others; a spot for secrets and quickies.
I shoot another disgusting look towards her. “No need to look so sad baby, you’re about to join him soon,” I say, snatching a sock from the dead man’s foot and plugging it into my wife’s mendacious mouth.

“It was Tulio today, Victor yesterday, Cordell the day before, Ashton the day before that,
Andre, Daryl, Michael, Kyland…” I recited over one hundred men’s names while dousing her hair and face with lighter fluid. “And last but not least, Mr. Landon London. How I hated that arrogant bastard the most. I’m glad Kinnan offed his ass.” I cock my head to the side and frown. “Oh. You’re wondering how I know the names of every single man you’ve ever cheated on me with? You thought I just knew about the ones from the phone tap? Well, honey, keep on wondering, because I’m not telling you shit!”

I strike the match, shielding it from the tears falling from my eyes. “I loved you Saisha. I loved you with everything I had. You are my wife. I cherish you. There was nothing in this world that I wouldn’t have done for you… but you played me. Repeatedly, one infidelity after the other. You disrespected our marriage and me as a man. I was nothing but a safety net for you. In me, you found a man that could provide you with everything you wanted, as well as cherish the very ground you walked on. You knew that you would be my weakness, my kryptonite, so you jumped at the opportunity to control and ultimately ruin my life. I offered you a chance to make peace with me, a chance to die with a clean slate, but you still choose to lie to me. Two hundred and sixty-six! Two hundred and sixty-six lies Saisha! Well guess what, baby? That last one was really the last one.” I stand over her with the match quivering in my trembling hand. “Fuck you Saisha. Fuck you and these vows.” I sit the match at the ends of her long black mane and watch the flames climb.

Ebook~ 2/2/17
Paperback~ 2/25/17

For a limited time Searching For My Star will be featuring books from authors across the internet. Make sure you stay tuned for more posts like this and make sure you are reading.

Also check out Woman Manifested: A Poetic Tale and This Is For The Lover In You: A Tale of How Love & Lust Can Cut Deep by Lashuntrice on Amazon.

Matrimony (Poem)

Matrimony (Poem by Lashuntrice) 

My sincerest apologies, I mean it

I'll admit it, the thought of love makes me pathetic

I'm 30 still never been a bride at a wedding

Guess the idea of never saying “I Do” doesn’t sit with me well

It’s not your fault love escapes me, still I chase it

Cause I'm selfish and I need you to myself

Tryna see you be free, but don’t wanna see you happy without me

And when I fail over and over again all I can do is cry

And you don’t seem to care

Cause when I enter your city, you leave with pride

I'm sorry, and I'm staring at your comments

Fearin' it's gone always be me sharin' you with all them

Wrong, how dare I say ignore them?

But I’m selfish so I’ll always say fuck them

It's easy, you know to fight temptation

Out here, you know my feelings are strong

Never run away from your heart

Giving you my all, even my writing is all about you 

I'm right

And I'm promisin' you better than those hoes

Although friends sayin' let him go

It’s you I want

I can’t give up now. I can promise you forever 

And if forever ends, there’s another forever that we can still be together

Make sure you go purchase a book by me at:

This Is For The Lover In You

Woman Manifested: A Poetic Tale 

Allow Me To Re-Introduce Myself

Allow me to re-introduce myself.

Hello, my name is Lashuntrice and my hustle is convincing strangers to read what I write. Why strangers? Well, it's all because there are four different versions of me. Here's a little bit to help you understand the different versions of me. I have four separate versions of myself.

There is the family version of Lashuntrice. The family version shows up at events, speaks a little, and then sits in a corner and waits until it is over. The family version of Lashuntrice gets asked questions and then usually gives short answers. Everyone understands she is single and that she spends most of her time working. That is also all they care about.

Then there is Lashuntrice the friend. She spends a good amount of her time wishing she could hang with friends. All three of her die-hard friends live far away, so she usually ends up doing everything alone. She has cordial friends that live in her area. Every once in a while she'll accept an invitation to hang with one of them. If she extends that invitation, it is usually rejected so she tries her hardest not to extend invitations to hang out. While she hangs out by herself the majority of the time, she is quick to pick up her phone and call people. She gets annoyed by unanswered calls and texts. Although she should just remove the people that ignore her out of her phone, her big heart keeps trying to keep the communication going anyway.

It almost sounds like I have split personalities, doesn't it? Well, I don't. I just have to become a different version of myself with everyone I deal with. Even when it comes to men, I transform.

The lover Lashuntrice absolutely hates the version of love that has been created for people around her age and below. It's this repetition of Netflix and chill and it gets old. However, sometimes she settles for the repetition. She listens to the guy, gets a couple of moments of pleasure, and ends it before it gets messy. Then she goes a year, maybe more, before she says yes again.

Then there is the writer known as Lashuntrice. The writer has always struggled with getting the family, friends, and lovers to care about what she writes.

Now that you've learned a little about me, let me tell you about the issue I've discovered. It's really exhausting trying to become a different person everywhere I go. That is why I'm working on making all of the versions of me become one. That way everyone will know what they are in store for.